Little Creek By The Pond
by horoscopesarelies
Summary: Merlin tells his children stories from his past. Canon Divergence AU. (Merlin x Morgana)
1. Chapter 1

Merlin found them in their usual spot. The little creek by the pond. Sitting on the stone steps, backs turned to one another, frowns etched on their small foreheads.

"What happened this time?"

Both children jumped up at the sound of their father, greeting him with big smiles for a second before launching into tirade against each other.

"Aiden stole my leaves!" The girl jabbed her finger in her little brother's chest.

"Did not! I just borrowed them Papa, Cinny's lying!"

His sister managed to look even more annoyed. "Do _not_ call me that! And I'm not lying Papa, he stole them and then he lost them so I turned his hair pink." she finished with a proud smirk.

"And then I gave her duck's feet!" Aiden added quickly, not wanting to let his sister steal all the glory.

She tossed him a sullen glare at that and looked back at Merlin. "But I was able to fix it all by myself. After that I cursed him with warts," she made spooky gestures with her hands, "and he couldn't do anything about it."

Aiden sniffled and tried to look mean, but Merlin thought it only made him look cuter. His son's pointy ears and round cheeks had gone red with indignation.

"And I assume that was when Mama found you two?"

The kids nodded solemnly, the memory of their mother's angry face still fresh on their minds.

Merlin sighed and patted them on their heads. "At least no one tried to set anything on fire this time."

The words had barely left his mouth when Aiden began, "That was also Cinny's fault-"

"Was not-"

"Ooookay. Why don't we all sit down and talk like big girls and boys?" Merlin took their hands and sat down on the largest rock, with one kid on each knee.

"Mama bound our magic for thirty minutes, and told us to go sit in the Reflection Creek and think about what we did wrong." Aiden informed him as he bounced his little feet against Merlin's legs.

"And what conclusion have you come to Cinead?" he asked his eldest child.

"I have done _nothing_ wrong." she announced regally, blowing her unruly black hair out of her blue eyes. Merlin suppressed a smile. Cinead was the spitting image of her mother, matched her looks and personality.

He turned to his son. "And what about you Aiden?"

Biting his bottom lip in his typical bashful way, Aiden answered, "It may have been my fault."

He reached out to his sister. "I'm sorry Cinny, I shouldn't have taken your leaves."

Cinead squeezed his hand in return. "It's okay. I shouldn't have given you warts, maybe the pink hair, but not the warts." she apologized thoughtfully, as though wondering what would've been a better substitute.

Merlin let go as Aiden wriggled out of his arms and went to hug his sister. He whispered something in her ear and Merlin saw Cinead nodding eagerly.

Two pairs of big hopeful eyes turned to him and pleaded, "Papa, can you please stay and tell us a story?"

"No, no. It's reflection time."

"But we're done reflecting, and we apologized and there's so much time left. Mama said we can't come back before that and there's nothing to do. Papa pleeeease?"

He couldn't say no to their pouty lips. "Fine, which one do you want to hear?"

Jumping up and down in excitement Aiden squealed, "The one about how you and Mama escaped from the Red Knights!"

Merlin caught him and put him back in his lap. "Again? Don't you ever tire of that story?"

Tucking his head under his father's chin, he replied, "No, never."

Cinead nodded in agreement as she plopped down by her father's feet, one hand wrapped around his ankle, and the other making lazy patterns on the pond water. The sunlight peeked through the clouds above, warming their faces.

"Okay then." He took a deep breath and began.

"Once upon a time, not so long ago, Mama and Papa lived in a land where magic was banned."

Aiden gasped, like he always did.

"Everyone with magic had to hide their true natures, or else there would be trouble. But I knew from the beginning that Mama was different, that she was magical just like me."

"Did she know about you too?" Aiden piped up.

"No, not yet-"

"Why?"

"Aiden!" Cinead flicked water at her brother. "Why do you always asks so many questions? Just let Papa tell the story."

He stuck his tongue out at Cinead, but said nothing as he settled more comfortably against his father's chest. Merlin kissed his cheek and continued.

"However, we couldn't hide forever. Mama's magic started getting stronger. We had to find a way to get her out of the castle, and make sure she reached the Druid camp. They would protect her and keep her safe.

"But the Red Knights found us, and I faced a very difficult dilemma. The lives of everyone at the camp were at stake. I could've created a distraction, but that wouldn't hold off the Knights for long. Arrows were flying all around us, people were shouting and somewhere in all the panic I felt your mother's hand slip inside mine. You see I had told her to leave, but she came back; I could see in her eyes that she wasn't going to go without me."

Merlin paused. It was so quiet that they could hear the leaves rustling in the trees above them, and the gentle ripple of the stream as it glided past their still, silent forms. Aiden and Cinead held their breaths as they watched their father relieve the memory.

"In the end, I don't think I was even fully aware of what I was doing. The moment our fingers twined together, I felt her magic crackling beneath mine and without thinking, without stopping to question the consequences, I joined our power together and unleashed wave after wave of it into the air surrounding us. All the Red Knights were blown away, knocked unconscious but essentially unharmed."

"What about their leader, the Prince?" Aiden whispered close to his ear.

"The Prince...well he had a habit of getting knocked unconscious at every turn, and this time was no different." Merlin tried to keep his voice light but that last image of Arthur's face when he witnessed his and Morgana's combined magic, the shock and hurt and betrayal all showing in the span of seconds...he tried not to dwell on that most days.

"Forget the Prince, tell me again what Mama did!" Cinead exclaimed as she splashed water on Merlin's toes.

Merlin laughed, his chest feeling somewhat light again. "Once we had reached safety, your Mama refused to speak to me for a week. Every night I would sit outside her tent and apologize, but she isn't so easily appeased as you both know. She was angry that I had kept my magic a secret, and she was right. I shouldn't have, but it wasn't as black and white as she liked to make out. Finally the others convinced her to give me a chance, seeing as I had saved everyone's lives. With her help of course, as she kindly reminded me."

A wide grin spread across his face as he recalled those early days. "There were a lot of flowers and wooing involved, but I finally managed to win her heart."

Aiden's eyebrows furrowed. "So when did she win your heart?"

Merlin looked down at his son. "Honestly, from the first moment I saw her I think."

"Oh really? The first moment, Merlin?"

All three heads whipped around to see Morgana standing at the top of the steps with her hands on her hips, left eyebrow raised.

Her red robes swirled around her ankles as she made her way down to them, Aiden already leaping up from his father's lap and bounding towards his mother. She caught him as he wrapped his chubby arms around her neck and put his head on her shoulder, a pleased smile on his face.

Merlin rolled his eyes. _Mama's boy through and through._

"So I'm guessing reflection time is over. Have you apologized to each other?"

Both children nodded.

"Will you do it again?" asked Morgana, even though she knew they'd probably be back here in two or three days.

"No." they replied in unison.

"Good. And since you've been so well behaved, I asked Aunty Kara to make her special lemon tart for desert."

They cheered the whole way back to the castle, racing with one another to get to the dining hall first.

Morgana smiled as she watched their retreating backs, and then shook her head. "You know, Arthur and I used to have our fair share of scuffles and pranks, but we were angels compared to these two."

Merlin came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Well, they are our children after all. What did you expect them to be, a bunch of obedient little saints?" he teased as he rubbed her back.

She leaned into him. "No, and I wouldn't have it any other way." He turned her around and kissed her deeply, hands roaming all over her body.

Morgana eventually stopped him and grinned. "I know you want a third Merlin, but now is hardly the time and place my love."

He gave her that signature pout which his son and daughter had inherited from him, the one that was so hard to resist, but Morgana just laughed and pulled him along to walk back home.

 **XXXXXXXXX**

Some days it was still hard to believe that they had built this life here in Cornwall, so far away from Camelot.

When they had first migrated here so long ago, the whole place was falling apart. The castle was abandoned, cobwebs in every corner, and weeds all over the gardens. Morgana could hardly believe this was her beloved childhood home; but then again, after years of neglect, it was hardly surprising that it was in this condition.

The villagers were wary and preferred to keep their distance, but there was no talk of outcasts and burning at the stakes.

It took them a while to find their footing, not sure whether they should settle down or keep moving like they always had. The Druids especially did not like the idea of staying in one place for too long. But as they days wore on and bit by bit they found their place in this new community, they let their guards down.

The townsfolk were friendlier, the castle was habitable once again after all the work they put into it, and for once in their lives they felt like they had found a safe haven. Despite all of that, Merlin and Morgana never failed to cast protective charms around their perimeters so that they would be alerted if anyone unwanted tried to breach into their home.

Kilgharrah had not been happy with this arrangement, but after a few years, even he stopped warning Merlin about how he was failing his destiny and the rest of Albion. Especially after the arrival of his new Dragonlord, the child he was bound to love, though he had come from a union the old dragon was not pleased with at all.

Merlin still wrote letters to Gaius, but he never received a reply. News about Camelot was all rumors and word of mouth. Apparently the King had fallen ill, the laws against magic were stricter than ever, and everyone whispered about the treachery of the Lady Morgana.

There was no denying the fact that they missed Arthur and Gwen, but their lives were vastly different now and none of them were the same people that they used to be.

 _It's for the best._ Merlin would whisper into her ear at night, when he held her in his arms and pressed soft kisses into her forehead. And after hearing and saying it for so long, this is what they'd both come to believe and accept. They had a good life here, away from all the hatred and fear and prejudice. Why shouldn't they be grateful for all the things they had gained instead of mourning for what they had left behind?

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

After they had all eaten a nice big serving of Kara's delicious lemon tart, Mordred asked the kids if they would like to go see how the fruits were coming along in the garden. Aiden gave his usual response to most questions and bounced up and down enthusiastically. Cinead shook her head, her mind clearly occupied with something else.

As he walked hand in hand with his uncle Mordred, Aiden said, "Can you please tell me a story?"

Morgana sighed. "Aiden, you don't need to hear a story every minute of every day." The boy was constantly asking and she'd run out of little anecdotes for him, yet he wanted to hear the old ones again and again.

Mordred indulged him. "Do you want me to tell you about the time your Mama and Papa helped me escape Camelot when I was little boy just a few years older than you?"

"Yes yes yes! That's my favorite one!"

Mordred picked him up as he began his tale and carried him the rest of the way to the garden, with Morgana walking behind them and making funny faces whenever Aiden looked at her.

Merlin was about to get up and follow them when he felt Cinead pull at his sleeve.

"Papa." she said softly. "Do you ever think about going back to Camelot?"

Merlin studied her serious expression and wondered where the question had come from. This wasn't a topic they usually liked to discuss. "Truth be told, I don't know." He sat back down beside her. "Why do you ask?"

"I had a dream."

Early on they knew Cinead had inherited her mother's gifts, but later when Morgana stopped having her dreams, they realized that the power of being a Seer had been passed on to her.

In retrospect, Morgana thought she shouldn't have been surprised, since the same thing had happened with her and Vivienne. Seer's abilities were always passed on to the first child. Morgana had grimly told Merlin one night how she felt as though he had given their son a gift and she had given their daughter a curse. He argued that was completely untrue, but the haunted look in her eyes told him that she never wanted her daughter to experience the terror of those nightmares.

Some nights, Cinead would wake up in a cold sweat and mumble about wars and dragons, and Morgana wouldn't leave her side till morning, pressing her cool hand against her forehead and murmuring every spell to help that had been denied to her as a child. Lately though, her dreams had taken a more pleasant turn, and she'd open her eyes with a warm smile on her face. When asked what she'd seen, Cinead would just shrug and give a vague reply.

Something must've changed for her to want to share with him.

"It's the same dream I've seen for the last few weeks. A boy with golden curls, and honey brown skin, wearing a cape and waving about a wooden sword. He's younger than Aiden, and he has the most beautiful sunny laugh I've ever heard. I don't know who he is, what's his name, where he's from, but I know that I love him like he's family. Last night I finally got to see his parents."

Cinead glanced up at him through her long lashes. "I saw his parents standing with my parents. Under a crimson flag with a golden dragon on it, flying high and proud. You were back with the Red Knights Papa, back in Camelot. We all were, me, Aiden, and the little boy, or maybe I should call him little Prince?" she finished with a happy lift of her bony shoulders.

Merlin cupped her face. "Oh honey, that sounds like a wonderful dream, but I'm afraid that's all that is."

He didn't dare allow himself to hope; hoping only led to disappointment, and as the years passed, it had become easier to give up every expectation of a reunion.

But she remained adamant. "Papa I think by now I would know what's a dream and what's a vision. It's the future, I can feel it. Why is it so hard for you and Mama to imagine a future where we're all together? Why do you always prepare for the worst? I know she grew up seeing horrible things, and that's why she's always so worried about me, but Papa, tomorrow isn't so bad. My dreams aren't as frightening as hers, they are much brighter and filled with hope."

And looking at her earnest big blue eyes, Merlin could almost believe. He brought her close and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Okay darling, if you say so. Maybe tomorrow will be kinder after all."

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A 2x03 AU where Merlin and Morgana ran away and started a life together always sounded nice to me, so I thought I'd give it a shot ~**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who helped with names for the kids, loved all the suggestions! And thanks to I Luv Milarion 1201 and Arrionical for the names! :D**

 **Cinead means "born of fire" and Aiden means "little fire"**


	2. Chapter 2

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Morgana knows she should stop ignoring him by now. It's been a week and all the druids have been perstering her so much about giving the poor boy a break; that she thinks she should give in just to get everyone off her back. But she's still so angry at him.

How could he turn her away like that in Gaius' chambers when he had magic all along? Granted, he _did_ expose his identity and risk his life to save them all from Camelot's knights, so maybe she should forgive him for not opening up that first night. After all, he's the reason they are all here safe and sound. He's taken every measure to make sure they won't be discovered again and continues protecting them with cloaking spells night and day.

Not to mention all the flowers he's been leaving outside her tent. The first morning she just walked over them and was rewarded with the sound of his desolate sigh a few feet away. Later though she felt maybe that was a tiny bit too harsh on her part and picked up the poor lilies lying trampled on the ground. When he wasn't around to see obviously.

Even now he's stealing glances at her over the bonfire as they all eat their evening meal (he had rushed over to hand her the first steaming bowl of soup but she ignored him completely and took it from Aglain instead) and she can't help rolling her eyes. This would be a lot easier if he didn't look like such a wounded deer each time she gave him the cold shoulder. No wonder everyone's taking his side, it's very difficult to say no to _that_ face.

Somehow Morgana's managed it so far but recently she's noticed him chatting to a very lovely looking blonde druid, apparently she's the one he went to ask for help when he sent her to the druid camp for the first time (and what a disaster that turned out to be). Of course it doesn't bother her the slightest bit and she really doesn't care much either way what exactly they're rambling on about; but she can't help being a _little_ intrigued when he throws his head back and laughs so heartily. Has she ever seen Merlin laugh like that before? _She_ certainly never made him laugh like that. Morgana wipes that errant thought away as soon as it pops in her head. After all, what does it matter to her?

She turns to Mordred, who's sitting in his usual spot beside her. The young boy breaks his gaze away from Kara and Morgana smiles. It's really adorable how smitten he is with his best friend but the girl is completely oblivious. Soon she's lost in a mind conversation with Mordred (because they both like it better that way) and doesn't notice how Merlin has stopped talking to the blonde woman and is back to staring at her with a wistful look in his blue eyes.

 **XXXXXXXXX**

 **Hey! I'm not dead! And I actually do plan on finishing 'tell me your dreams', but life has been kinda crazy (in a good way!) So this is sort of a prequel and the events that happened before the first chapter, I just wanted to explore it a bit and write more in this verse, cause it's fun :D I know I should probably finish 'tell me your dreams' before writing other multi-chap stories, but I'm enjoying writing an au where the poisoning bullshit never happened! :P Tell me if you guys like it!**


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